By Scott Gilfoid: Chris Arreola says he thinks IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is the top heavyweight in the division. He points to Fury’s experience in beating Wladimir Klitschko last November that sets him apart from the other heavyweights in the division.
Arreola says the other top heavyweights like WBC champion Deontay Wilder and IBF bet holder Anthony Joshua haven’t beaten anyone of distinction yet for him to consider either of them as the #1 guy at heavyweight.
Arreola, 35, has a fight coming up in a little over a week from now on July 16 against the 6’7” Deontay at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. Perhaps we could see Arreola change his appraisal of Deontay’s talent after that fight, especially if he gets blasted out in the first three or four rounds by the Alabama talent.
“Honestly I’ve got to give it to the ‘Gypsy King’ because he has the experience,” Arreola told Behind The Gloves. “That’s the main thing, the experience, and the fact that he fought better opponents, much better opponents. He’s fought Klitschko. Wilder, yes he’s a good fighter, yes he’s defended his title, but he hasn’t fought the competition that the ‘Gypsy King’ has.”
Oh brother, Fury whips an old and timid-looking 40-year-old Wladimir and all of a sudden Arreola is slathering him with compliments from head to toe as the best heavyweight. I mean, come on. I could understand Arreola gushing about Fury’s talent if he actually beat a young guy with talent, power, aggressiveness and a good chin, but we haven’t seen that. Fury only beat Wladimir, who has been on the slide for a couple of years now.
If Fury beat a prime Wladimir from the 1990s, then I would be smothering Fury with compliments too. He didn’t do that though, did he? If Fury beat the late KO artist Corrie Sanders, then I would be impressed. He didn’t do that though. With the exception of his win over Wladimir, most of Fury’s wins have come against scrubs. I’m just saying. Fury hasn’t beaten any live bodies to speak of.
I’m not going to drop for the 10 count and start calling Fury the greatest heavyweight that ever breathed based on a narrow – and very, very boring – 12 round decision win over Wladimir from their fight last November. That was just an awful performance from Fury from start to finish. The referee should have penalized both guys for not fighting because there was no action in that fight at all, period.
“Who did Joshua beat to win the championship? Deontay Wilder, yes he’s a good fighter, yes he’s defended his title, but he hasn’t fought the competition that the ‘Gypsy King’ has,” said Arreola. “Honestly he came and gave Klitschko the fight that he wasn’t expecting.”
I think Arreola will soon be singing a different tune after he faces Deontay and after Fury faces Wladimmir in their rescheduled rematch on October 29 in Manchester, UK. I don’t see it going well for Arreola against Deontay. I see the same thing for Fury in his fight against Wladimir. I believe he’ll get knocked out this time.